Guilty Pleasure
by letthesongtakeflight
Summary: "Valkyrie Cain, you're my guilty pleasure." "Skulduggery Pleasant, you're my guilty pleasure, too." A collection of Valduggery oneshots. May canon-ball. Don't like, don't read.
1. Guilty Pleasure

**A/N: Before my Twilighter subscribers kill me for not continuing **_**Love Story**_**, it's because I have a writer's block and I have become a **_**Skulduggery Pleasant**_** fangirl.**

**Soooooo about this fic… This is a collection of Valduggery oneshots (or twoshots in some cases). They might contradict each other sometimes, for example there might be two different fics about Valkyrie and Skulduggery getting together. And there might be a little Fletchyrie in some of them, but mainly Valduggery.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

"I can't believe you're making me watch _Titanic_ with you again," Skulduggery grumbled. "Especially if you're going to cry,"

"Just shut up," Valkyrie slapped his arm.

"Couldn't you ask Tanith or Fletcher or someone else to watch it with you? Why is it always _me_?"

"Tanith's with Ghastly," Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "You can ask her if you want to, but she'll probably beat you up. And Fletcher is just annoying,"

"If he's so annoying why is he your boyfriend?" Skulduggery teased.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend!" Valkyrie glared at him. "I broke up with him ages ago!"

"Three months is not 'ages'…"

"Stuff your smart-ass-ness," Valkyrie crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned back to the sinking ship on the TV screen.

Although he would never admit it, Skulduggery did not understand her. Sometimes she flirted with him and sometimes she was so moody and anything he said would make her mad.

But then again, Skulduggery never really understood women.

_She's a woman_, Skulduggery mused absentmindedly, looking at Valkyrie. She wasn't that twelve year old who somehow stumbled into his care. He found his eyes lingering on her face, her hair, her body.

He shook his skull; he shouldn't be having thoughts like these about Valkyrie. She was his student, his partner and best friend.

Presently, Valkyrie whimpered a "Nooooo," and tears started gathering in her eyes. Sighing to himself, Skulduggery put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. Then he handed her the box of tissues.

That was something else he didn't get about Valkyrie. She was always watching _Titanic_ and she cried every single time, but that didn't stop her from watching it. Sometimes, Skulduggery seriously thought she liked inflicting pain and sadness on herself.

"Dammit, Rose, let Jack get on the board," Valkyrie muttered. "You know," she said, now at Skulduggery. "There's plenty of room on that board for both of them. She should move over and he wouldn't die,"

"I know," Skulduggery wiped away a tear on her face with a tissue. Valkyrie cuddled into Skulduggery, an arm casually resting across his torso.

"What would you do if you were Rose?" he asked offhandedly.

She looked at him for a while, her expression soft. "I'd jump into the water and make sure he gets onto that board." She whispered, completely sincere.

"What if you die?" Skulduggery murmured, now serious.

"Oh God this sounds so cheesy," she muttered under her breath, biting her bottom lip. Her face flushed with a light pink tinge as she answered. "I would sacrifice my life for the ones I love," she looked down at her lap, embarrassed.

She wiped her tears with a tissue as Jack's body slowly sunk to the bottom of the sea. "Rose you idiot…" she whimpered.

Skulduggery stared at her for a few moments incredulously. He would never, ever understand what was going on in her mind. But that was part of what he loved about her. He could never predict what she was doing next and he loved the surprise.

"Why are you staring at me?" Valkyrie gave him a weird, slightly creeped-out look.

"Valkyrie, why do you like _Titanic_ so much?" he asked out of sheer curiosity.

She hesitated. "I don't know, I guess it's kind of like a guilty pleasure thing, you know?" She looked at him. Then she sighed. "You probably won't understand, you don't even have a guilty pleasure."

"Yes I do,"

"Oh yeah?" she raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"You, Valkyrie Cain," he murmured, his eye sockets looking into her dark eyes. "You're my guilty pleasure,"

She blushed a delicate shade of light pink, but she returned his intent gaze into her eyes. His face was an inch from her's. He could feel her breath fan across his face. Then her lips touched his teeth in a kiss and he kissed her back as gently as he could.

It was sweet, short, and innocent, and it felt as right as crying while watching_ Titanic_. Which is to say, extremely right.

"Skulduggery Pleasant," she said with a sweet smile as she broke the kiss. "You're my guilty pleasure, too,"

**A/N: This is my first attempt at Skulduggery Pleasant fanfiction. I hope it's okay… Please review but please don't yell at me! ^^**


	2. Butterfly Kiss

"Where are you going?" Valkyrie grabbed Skulduggery by the back of his jacket.

"Hey you're ruining my Italian suit!" Skulduggery tried to free himself, but found that he couldn't do so without hurting either Valkyrie or his suit.

Valkyrie smirked, knowing she had the upper hand here. "Tell me where you're going and I'll let you go,"

"You'll just tag along."

"Touché," she agreed, shrugging, but not loosening her grip on the jacket. "But if you want to get there, with or without me, you'd better tell me where you're going,"

Skulduggery glared at her as much as a skeleton can glare through empty eye sockets. "Fine." He grumbled. "I'm going to see China."

"What for?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Façade tattoo, remember?"

"Ohhhh," Valkyrie let him go, but followed him to the Bentley. She got in the front passenger seat.

"Who said you could come along?" Skulduggery got in the driver's seat but didn't try making her get out.

"Can't a girl go with her skeleton boyfriend to see what he would look like as a human?" she grinned, trying to fake innocence but the mischievous glint in her eye gave her away.

"Hmm," he tilted his head. "You do have a point there,"

"Ha," she smirked, victorious. "So you have to let me come,"

"But you're going to have to make up for annoying me the whole way there and back,"

"I can do that," She leaned over and planted a butterfly kiss on his mouth. "When we get back,"

"You know what," Skulduggery pulled the keys out of the Bentley. "Maybe I don't need to go to China's right now."

"Maybe you don't," Valkyrie agreed with a sweet smile. She threw an arm around his neck, smiling as she crushed her lips to his mouth and kissed him.

**A/N: Thanks for liking this story! It means so much to me ^^ Hope you liked this one. I think the title is crap though… .**

**And please review and fav / subscribe if you like this fic. =)**


	3. The Breakup

**A/N: Valkyrie is 19. She lives in Gordon's house.**

Valkyrie Cain was making out with Fletcher Renn. A couple of drinks and some dance music in a club, then Fletcher teleported them to Valkyrie's room in Gordon's house.

Valkyrie was on the bed, Fletcher on top of her. It felt good to have him pressing against her, one passionate kiss after another on her lips. Her hands twisted into his hair. Her heart was thudding and when she wasn't in the middle of a kiss, she was gasping for breath.

Then Fletcher's hand moved under her shirt and pressed against her breast. His lips left hers and he started a trail of wet, sloppy kisses down her jaw and neck. It felt good, but in a bad way. It didn't feel right.

"Fletcher, get off me," Valkyrie pushed against his chest, but he took that as a signal that she was enjoying it, and tried taking her top off completely.

"Get off!" Using her ring, Valkyrie slammed her shadows against him and he flew backwards, hitting the far wall of the room. He scrambled up and Valkyrie was springing towards him, her fist clenched, ready to punch. Then he evaporated, teleporting to somewhere safe.

Valkyrie punched the wall instead. "I HATE YOU FLETCHER!" she screamed over and over while punching the wall. Then she was crying at the same time, drenching her face in tears. Her sobs and shouts mingled together.

Eventually, tired out, she crawled into bed and huddled under the covers, crying quietly now. She wasn't the kind of girl to cry over just anything. But breaking up with her first boyfriend wasn't just anything. She knew that this wasn't just a fight; this was the end to their relationship.

With trembling fingers, she dialed Tanith's number. She willed Tanith to pick it up. But it took her to voicemail. "Tan, this is Valkyrie. I had this major fight with Fletcher and I think we're breaking up… call me back ASAP," She pressed the "end" button.

Her phone rang a few minutes later. Without checking the caller ID, Valkyrie picked up. "Tanith?"

"Valkyrie?" Skulduggery's familiar, calm, velvety voice answered.

"Oh, Skulduggery." Valkyrie said. His voice sent butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach.

"Are you okay? Aren't you supposed to be with Fletcher?"

"Yeah… He teleported away before I could beat him up completely."

"What happened?" Skulduggery's voice was concerned and urgent.

"He, um, kind of… tried getting in my pants,"

"He _what_!" Skulduggery roared in anger. "I'm coming over right now," he hung up.

Ten minutes later, Skulduggery climbed in through the window and got over to the bed. "Valkyrie?" he said gently. He sat down and placed a hand on the girl's back. She was lying on the bed, her back to Skulduggery.

When she didn't answer, he got in the bed next to her. She threw her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. He held her close, stroking her back and her long hair.

"Valkyrie, can you look at me?"

"Why?" she said, her voice muffled by his suit, but did as he asked. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her face was marked with tearstains. He touched her cheek gently; his nonexistent heart clenched painfully at how she was hurting, and some protective part of him wanted to kill Fletcher for hurting her like this.

"I'm going to kill him for doing this to you," Skulduggery muttered.

"Don't, because if he dies, somehow its going to be worse,"

"Then I'll help you hunt him down," he gently cupped her face in his hand. "And kick the hell out of him,"

She smiled bigger. "Thanks, Skul," No one could cheer her up the way he could.

"I'm didn't do anything but give you a hug,"

She just shook her head and smiled at him in a way that, if he still had a heart, it would skip a beat.

**A/N: What do you think of this? Slightly OOC, I know… Please review and tell me do you like it. Every single review/fav/subscription makes my day and if I know that you guys like it I'll write more.**

**I'm going to do one that's darker, kind of my prediction of Darquesse and stuff. And I will fail xD**


	4. Until The End

Valkyrie's fingers trembled as she dialed Skulduggery's number, the first one on speed dial. It rang for a few minutes, then it took her to voice mail. She was glad; hearing his voice would have crumbled all the courage and resolve she built up for what she was about to do.

"Skulduggery," she bit her lip to stop from crying out. She felt like she was dying inside, but her voice was strong as she spoke. "You wanted to kill Darquesse before she had a chance to kill us all. I'm going to do that for you. If you come to my house now, you'll see her body."

Her voice shook and tears betrayed her. "I promised you that I'll be there until the end. I'm sorry, Skul, I have to break that promise to stop the end from coming. I'm happy to have known you, to know how much a heart can feel. Goodbye, Skulduggery. Be happy. I love you," she pressed "end" and crumpled to the floor, sobbing, her arms around herself.

"I love you, Skul," she whispered one last time, then pressed her gun to her temple and pulled the trigger.

Valkyrie Cain's short life of seventeen years ended then, in her bedroom in her parents' house, in Dublin, Ireland.

Skulduggery climbed into the room through the window ten minutes later. He saw the body on the floor, the blood soaking the beautiful pale face and long dark hair. He knelt next to her body and cried tearlessly, stroking her face and murmuring "I love you". His voice was desperate and grief-stricken, as though it was his heart that she shot when she pulled the trigger of the gun.

Valkyrie Cain was buried a week later. The mortal friends and family that attended her funeral said that she had numerous possibilities in front of her, and she had taken them all away. They didn't know she did it to save them from herself.

Valkyrie would rather live a short life at Skulduggery's side, than to live a long life not knowing that he existed. He was her world.

The night of the funeral, Skulduggery was found in his home, dead. There was no sign of a fight, or even a suicide attempt. His skeletal frame was sitting in his chair, complete and unscathed. He lived by his power of will, and now that she was dead, he lost his will to live. He was simply, gone. She was his everything.

He was buried next to her. Their gravestones and bodies would remain next to each other, until the end.

**A/N: Hope you like it. I cried while writing this. ='( Please review to tell me what you think… Don't hate me too much for killing Skulduggery and Valkyrie.**

**My internet died for a few days so I wrote a lot. I don't like all of them though =/ But I have another one coming soon, I promise =)**


	5. I'll Be Waiting For You

Valkyrie paced the dock, waiting for one Skulduggery Pleasant to turn up. She remembered the time she jumped into the sea here, leading a pack of Infected to their deaths. The thought led a tear to stray down her cheek. They had been through so much together, and he meant more to her than she let on.

She watched the Bentley round the corner. She suddenly wished that she didn't tell him to come – it made it so much harder to say it. But it would be too painful to leave without saying goodbye.

"What's wrong?" Skulduggery walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She could see concern etched on his face, in those beautiful stormy gray eyes. Her heart clenched painfully as she though about how she wouldn't see that beloved face again for so long.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she whispered.

"What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to America, for college," she admitted. "I should've told you earlier, I know, but every time I wanted to bring it up, I just… couldn't,"

"But you'll come back, right?" he asked desperately. "We'll see each other?"

She shook her head sadly. "I won't be back until Christmas,"

"But that's five months away!" It was evident in his eyes that the idea of separation hurt him. That just made it even harder and even more unbearable.

"I know," Valkyrie choked, turning to face the open sea and the brilliant sunset. Slowly, Skulduggery cupped her face in his hand and, turning it to face him, he wiped away the tear that managed to escape. His fingers trailed down her cheek, the base of his hand touching her throat.

"In that case…" Skulduggery swooped down and captured her mouth with his.

Her eyes widened with surprise, but then she gave in to his kiss.

Her heart beat in her chest. She felt his soft lips moving gently on her's. She never wanted the moment to end, because it captured utter perfection. It was magic.

Then it was over, and he pulled back. "I'll be waiting for you," he hugged her and kissed her forehead quickly. Then he walked briskly back towards the Bentley and she watched him drive off.

She was still going to America, and she was still not going to see him until Christmas. But she had something she did not have before – hope.

**A/N: I'm writing so many sad ones… might have something to do with the fact that I'm listening to so many breakup songs =P**

**I really enjoyed writing this one =) Please review! They mean soooo much to me and they make me write faster! =)**


	6. Masks, Masquerades, and Making Out

**A/N: This oneshot is rated T, for suggestive sexual themes. And its pretty fluffy, so if you don't like too much romance I suggest you not to read it or you're going to get really bored xD**

**Ok, I took the Masquerade idea from a fic called **_**His and Her Broken Bones**_**. It's by NerdySkeleton. It's really good btw. =) But I'm not stealing anything from it, just the Masquerade part! =)**

**Oh and minor Dark Days spoilers: Skulduggery's human cause of the façade tattoo. *****End of spoilers***** And Valkyrie is in her 20s… let's say 22 =)**

Skulduggery Pleasant lay on the bed, watching his naked girlfriend get up and put on the shirt he had been wearing the night before. Ever since they started lovemaking, Valkyrie had taken to wearing his clothes. And, admittedly, he liked seeing her in his clothes. "I want to see your dress for the Masquerade," he whined.

"No," Valkyrie bit her bottom lip to stop the evil smirk.

"Please?" Skulduggery pouted, his green eyes wide and pleading in the perfect puppy-dog expression.

Valkyrie sighed and turned around to face her lover. "It's black."

"And?" His eyes lit up hopefully. "How long?"

"Floor length. Sorry," she grinned at his disappointed expression, and added: "But the neckline is lower than what I usually wear,"

"How low?" his gaze roamed up and down her body, making her shiver.

"Right here." She pointed to a spot slightly below her breasts.

Skulduggery groaned. "You are so trying to kill me,"

"Too bad, Detective." She smirked. "I don't think the Sanctuary needs to know how dirty you are."

"Oh I'm dirty? What about you?" he accused.

"I picked it up from a certain skeleton detective…" She murmured, lying down next to Skulduggery. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her.

"I'm guessing that you're either going to punch Crux in the face and get kicked out, or we're going to make out somewhere," Valkyrie said. "So I'm not going to put on lip gloss,"

"Good idea," Skulduggery agreed.

Valkyrie entered the Sanctuary's dance hall with Tanith and Ghastly. She wished that Skulduggery could be here, but he had to finish off a minor case they'd been working on. All that was really left to do was the paperwork, and he was just handing it in before joining Valkyrie at the Masquerade.

Valkyrie's mask was black, outlinedlined with silver, and it covered just her eyes. There were some black feathers on one side, giving it a touch of decoration, yet keeping it simple and elegant at the same time. **(Valkyrie's mask [its black and silver instead of white]: http: / www. polyvore. com/ cgi/ img-thing?. out= jpg& size= l&tid= 10092814)**.

Tanith and Ghastly went onto the dance floor. Valkyrie wandered around the edges of it, watching the dancers and waiting for Skulduggery. Suddenly a man took her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. Valkyrie was about to ask his name, when she recognized the weak chin and goatee as Remus Crux.

"And why does this beautiful lady not have a date?" Crux said, in what he thought was an attractive and flirtatious voice.

Valkyrie raised her eyebrows in surprise; he obviously didn't recognize her.

"Have we met? No, we obviously haven't, or I would remember a face as pretty as yours."

"Let go of me," Valkyrie hissed.

"Oh, you want to play hard-to-catch?" Crux actually thought that she was interested in him. She resisted the urge to slap him really hard.

"Detective Crux, this young woman is my girlfriend. Now get your hands off her," A smooth, familiar voice sounded behind Valkyrie's shoulder. She breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized it to be Skulduggery. His voice was dangerously calm, and Crux was terrified.

"Sorry," he squeaked. Valkyrie wrenched her hand from his and he scurried off into the crowds. She tried to hide her amusement; Skulduggery could be very scary when he wanted to.

"You okay?" Skulduggery's voice held nothing but concern.

"This is what happens when you turn up late. I have to dance with morons like Crux," she muttered.

"I'm sorry, love," he bent and touched his nose to hers gently. She sighed and smiled, letting him know that he was forgiven.

"I can never stay mad at you."

"And why's that?" his confident smirk was sexy, and it made her heart beat fast.

"Cause you are such a romantic when you want to be," She said, starting to dance with him. A slow song began, and they swayed together rhythmically. Her head rested on his shoulder, and his cheek was pressed against her dark hair.

"I like your mask," She told him quietly. Like hers, it was black and silver. But instead of a silver lining, his had a silver pattern across the black surface. **(Skulduggery's mask [just imagine the right colors]: http:/ www. venicemaskedball. co. uk/ ekmps/ shops/ maskedball/ images/ dscf6273. Jpg)**

He loosened their embrace to look at her. "I love your dress," he replied, gesturing at the black gothic styled gown she wore.

She blushed as she noticed that his gaze was fixed on the revealing neckline. "You're beautiful," he breathed, gently caressing her flushed cheek with the back of one bent finger. Valkyrie's heart fluttered madly as her lover's lips touched hers. It was wonderful; hardly anyone recognized them with their masks on, so they could love each other in public.

Then she heard an excited squeal, followed by giggles. She broke off from the kiss to glare the retreating form of Tanith Low. "Like she doesn't do the same thing with Ghastly," Valkyrie muttered. "I'll bet she's going to get Fletcher or someone like that to stare at us now,"

"Let's go somewhere more private," Skulduggery suggested quietly, taking Valkyrie's hand. They slipped unnoticed through the crowds gathered around the dance floor, and into a quiet corner.

Skulduggery's lips attacked hers with passion, his hands gripping her hips tightly. She was responding with the same ferocity as she kissed her lover again and again. She felt Skulduggery push her up against a wall and her hands slid up from his jaw, twisting tightly into his hair.

His lips moved down her throat, and she arched her neck, letting him kiss the exposed skin. Then his lips found their way back to her mouth, and they claimed hers once again. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, making him moan lightly in pleasure and kiss her with even more force.

It felt so good, so right, and she never wanted it to stop.

But it had to, before they ended up making love on this floor.

She pushed against his chest, gasping for breath. "We have to stop."

"Why?" he kissed his way down her jaw.

"Or we're going to be naked really soon," she managed to gasp, trying to ignore how good his lips felt.

Hearing her words, they stopped abruptly. "Hmm, good point. How about we take this home?"

"Perfect," she smiled coyly. Taking his hand, they ran out of the Sanctuary's dance hall and into the waiting Bentley.

They didn't make it very far before two naked bodies were entwined in a lover's embrace in the backseat.

**A/N: I'm sorry for not updating sooner, I have a few written but none of them are good… then I had a minor case of writer's block =P I randomly had inspiration for this after reading chapters and chapters of NerdySkeleton's fic, **_**His and Her Broken Bones**_**.**

**Reviews are better than making out with Skulduggery. ;) I'll give each reviewer a virtual hug and cookie =) **


	7. Puppy Love

**A/N: Ok, to clear things up for each oneshot, I'll put Valkyrie's age, Skulduggery's form (ie human or skeleton) and the Valduggery status (ie are they dating, not together, married, or whatever).**

**Valkyrie's age: 23**

**Skulduggery's form: Skeleton**

**Valduggery status: Married**

"Skulduggery," Valkyrie said sweetly, walking up to where her husband sat in his favorite armchair, reading.

"Yes?" Skulduggery didn't look up from his book.

"You know what I want? Like, really _really_ want?"

Skulduggery put his novel down. He'd heard this one before from his last wife, before she got killed by Serpine. And he knew the answer. "A baby?"

"A dog,"

"What!"

"You heard me. A dog,"

"Are you sure you're twenty-three and not five?" If Skulduggery had a face, his eyebrow would be raised skeptically. He had thought that only little kids begged for puppies. Apparently he was mistaken.

"Pleeeeeeease? I'll feed him and walk him and clean up after him and everything,"

"Why do I get the feeling that you've had this conversation with your parents before? And, more importantly, _do I look like a parent to you?_"

Valkyrie bit her lip to contain her laughter. "I did ask my parents when I was seven. They said no."

"Why am I not surprised?" he muttered. When she was young, Valkyrie had had five fish and a guinea pig, and they all died within a month of being under her care.

"This is going to be different."

"You know why I don't like dogs…"

"Cause you're a pile of bones," she grinned.

"Exactly. So I would like a little empathy here?"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" Valkyrie put on her best puppy face, the one Skulduggery could never say no to.

"Fine," he groaned, giving in. "But give me three good reasons why I should let you."

"Cause, you. Love. Me." Valkyrie grinned triumphantly.

"That's not three reasons!"

"Yes it is! It's three words,"

"That doesn't mean that it's three reasons. That's one reason."

"What about this?" Valkyrie sat in his lap and pressed her lips to his mouth softly.

Skulduggery sighed, surrendering. "You don't play fair,"

She smirked a little. "I know,"

**One week later…**

"Skulduggery, this is Fang," Valkyrie said, gesturing to the black Labrador puppy at her heels. As soon as he saw Skulduggery, he gave an excited yelp and bounded towards the skeleton.

Skulduggery screamed bloody murder as the tiny puppy chewed on every bone he could reach.

**A/N: I know this is totally random, but I felt like writing something happy and lighthearted. Plus, I've always thought that Skulduggery would be paranoid of dogs xD Well it's understandable, but that doesn't stop it from being funny.**

**The one good thing about insomnia is that I have a lot of time to write lol.**

**Oh, and, one more thing THIS IS IMPORTANT GUYS!1!ONE!1! (and girls) If you have any ideas please let me know, by a PM or by a review. These can include your OCs =)**

**Hope you liked it! Reviews are always welcome ^^ Reviews = happy writer = more chapters!**


	8. I'd Lie

**I changed my pen name, cause I figured that I wanted to get out of the Twilight world. My obsessive Seventh and Eighth grade days are, thankfully, past.**

**This is my **_**attempt**_** at a songfic. And I have failed miserably, lol. Please don't flame =) The lines in **_**italics**_** are the lyrics to the song I'd Lie, by Taylor Swift. I know some of the lyrics don't fit that well, but I couldn't find a better one. If you don't like Taylor Swift, don't read and DON'T FLAME! =)**

**Valkyrie and Skulduggery (c) Derek Landy.**

**Song lyrics (c) Taylor Swift.**

**Valkyrie's age: 17**

**Skulduggery's form: skeleton**

**Valduggery status: Both are single**

_I don't think that passenger seat_

_Has ever looked this good to me_

_He tells me about his night_

_And I count the colors in his eyes_

She slipped into the Bentley. As usual, she was in the front with him. She was always in the front, even when someone else was in the car. They argued about the most random things, and she loved every moment she could spend with him.

_He'll never fall in love he swears_

_As he runs his fingers through his hair_

_I'm laughing 'cause I hope he's wrong_

_And I don't think it ever crossed his mind_

_He tells a joke I fake a smile_

_That I know all his favorite songs and_

He tells her that he'll never love anyone like how he loved his wife. He says that that kind of love only happens once in a lifetime. She teases him that his "lifetime" is over, secretly hoping that he'll find another love in his "post-life". She hopes even harder that that love will be her.

_I could tell you his favorite colors green_

_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_

_And if you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

She knew him inside out. He trusted her with all his secrets. She loved him, and he could never know. Because he would never love her back.

_He looks around the room_

_Innocently overlooks the truth_

_Shouldn't a light go on?_

_Doesn't he know I've had him memorized for so long?_

All those moments they spend together, how could he not realize it? Sometimes she wanted to tell him. But that would ruin everything – their friendship, their closeness, their casual flirting, the easy silences between them. And she couldn't afford to lose any of that.

_He sees everything black and white_

_Never let nobody see him cry_

_I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine_

It's that day again, that day that comes around once every year. The day his family died. She holds him as he cries tearlessly, reliving his grief. He was hurting, and that hurt her. She wished she could kiss the pain away and make everything all right.

_I could tell you his favorite colors green_

_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_

_And if you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

She knew him inside out. He trusted her with all his secrets. She loved him, and he could never know. Because he would never love her back.

_He stands there then walks away_

_My God, if I could only say_

_I'm holding every breathe for you_

He walks her to her window, and she pushes against the air to propel herself up. She looks down from her room to see his retreating back. Every time he walks away without looking back, she feels as though her heart was breaking apart, the ravaged shreds of it following him as he sped away in his Bentley.

_He'd never tell you but he can play guitar_

_I think he can see through everything but my heart_

_First thought when I wake up is, "My God, he's beautiful"_

_So I put on my make up and pray for a miracle_

He once said that he's the only one who can think of everything. But he never thought that she loved him. She wanted him to love her back so much. It was hopeless, but that didn't stop her from hoping.

_Yes, I could tell you his favorite colors green_

_He loves to argue oh and it kills me_

_His sisters beautiful he has his father's eyes_

_And if you asked me if I love him_

_If you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

She knew him inside out. He trusted her with all his secrets. She loved him, and he could never know. Because he would never love her back.

Her hand was on the inside handle of the Bentley, ready to open the door, when he caught her wrist in his hand. "Valkyrie,"

"Yes?" she had barely turned to look at him when he kissed her abruptly. She froze in shock, then melted into his kiss. The feeling of her lips against his teeth, his hands holding her face, it was everything she imagined, only a million times better.

"Do you love me?" he asked when they broke apart.

When the question finally came, she found that she didn't have to lie. "Yes,"

**A/N: Hope you liked that. I think I'm going to give up songfics xD I had originally wanted to make an ending where she answered him with "no", but I couldn't keep Valduggery apart ^^"**

**Oh and I've put the first chapter of this story up on dA (deviantArt), under my account, Bluefire111. So if you see it up there, I didn't copy it.**

**Btw, a friend of mine on dA wrote a thingy on how to avoid writer's block, and I thought I should share it with those of you who write, and suffer from writer's block like I do. http:/ xbramblestarx. deviantart. com/ journal/ 33314194/**

**Review and you will get a cookie and a hug =)**


	9. Chasing Cars

**Wow, I'm on a songfic kind of roll, lol. I heard this song like last week and it somehow reminded me of Valduggery. So I HAD to write a songfic for it. I think this one kind of sucks… ^^"**

**Valkyrie and Skulduggery (c) Derek Landy**

_**Chasing Cars**_** lyrics (c) Snow Patrol**

**Valkyrie's age: 19**

**Skulduggery's form: human in the beginning and end. In the middle, you decide ;)**

**Valduggery status; Dating**

_We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own_

_We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone  
_

She turned in her sleep, her beautiful face nuzzling closer to his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and saw the corners of her lips turn up in a smile. That sweet, innocent, childlike smile. He wanted to protect her from evil, to stop her from seeing evil, just to keep that smile on her face.

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?  
_

He lay down in on the snow-covered ground, watching the snowflakes swirl and fall. He felt her lie next to him. She slipped her hand into his, entwining their fingers. The moment was timeless. Without time, they were, for once, carefree.

_I don't quite know  
How to say  
How I feel  
_

He wanted to say something. He wanted to say "I love you". But the harsh sound of words would break the serenity of the silence.

_Those three words  
Are said too much  
They're not enough_

Three words, so meaningful, yet said so much that they were tainted and void of meaning. He had said them countless times, to various women. They were used too much. Too many women had heard him declare it. She didn't deserve something as mundane and common as "I love you".

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?  
_

She was lying on top of him. Her face was an expression of pure bliss. He traced her jaw, her lips, with a finger, and she turned to look at him. She smiled. That sweet, innocent, childlike smile. If he could choose to capture one moment forever, it would be now.

_Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden  
That's bursting into life  
_

He knew that it wasn't right to be with her. She was just nineteen, and he was well over four hundred. Society's norms scorned them. Every sane and reasonable person they knew would frown upon their relationship.

"Forget what we've been told," she murmured in their embrace. "None of their opinions matter at all."

_Let's waste time  
Chasing cars  
Around our heads_

_I need your grace  
To remind me  
To find my own  
_

She had given him a second chance at love. He would be nothing without her. She was his everything, and he needed her like a suffocating man needing air.

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?  
_

How he wanted to abandon time, and the rest of the world, and they could lie in each other's arms until the world shatters. He wanted to see her smile for eternity. That sweet, innocent, childlike smile.

_Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden  
That's bursting into life  
_

He had seen so much evil, done so much evil. She would never understand. But she was his comfort, his release from the dark memories. It was like she was a garden that's bursting into life, in the middle of a scorching desert.

_All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes  
They're all I can see  
_

He looked deep into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. They were filled with complete understanding and adoration. She knew his past, and she still loved him. He didn't deserve this girl, but she deemed him worthy of her.

_I don't know where  
Confused about how as well  
Just know that these things  
Will never change for us at all  
_

It had just clicked into place, at the beginning. It wasn't like they needed to announce themselves as a couple. They had simply morphed from close friends into lovers. The transformation was so smooth and so natural, like a limb connecting to a body. And the way they fit perfectly into each other, that will never change.

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
And just forget the world?  
_

He lay awake in bed, one arm behind his head, the other holding her. She was asleep, her breathing deep and even. Then in her dreams, her lips smiled. That sweet, innocent, childlike smile. It was so timeless, and it was at moments like these, when she smiled at him like that, that he could truly just forget the world.

**A lot of you liked my last songfic, so I'm guessing that they're not as bad as I think they are, lol. I got lazy with editing =P I wanted to write this down before I lose inspiration.**

**Hope you like it! ^^**


	10. My Love Will Get You Home

**A/N: I know I haven't updated for a long time. Sowwyyyy D= Here is the long awaited chapter ^_^**

**Lyrics (c) Christine Glass**

**Valkyrie's age: 19**

**Skulduggery's form: human**

**Valduggery status: Both are single (in the beginning at least ;] )**

**PoV: Valkyrie**

Moonlight shone through an open window in Gordon Edgely's isolated mansion. I looked out of the window. My hands trembled in front of me, ghostly pale, clutched on my lap. The black ring rested on my finger, drinking in the darkness and shadows of the room behind me. It's coldness was comforting.

_No_, I thought. It wasn't real. He couldn't be gone, just like _that_.

But he was.

I pushed the thought away. There was still a chance that he was still alive. Or, as alive as a dead man, a living skeleton, could be. There was still a chance that he was waiting for me.

My phone rang, breaking my thoughts, and I picked it up. "Hello?" my voice was even, completely void of emotion. Although the man on the other side of the phone couldn't see my face, I kept it stoic and impassive. I didn't let anyone see me, or hear me, in any other way. I kept my raging tears and sadness away from their eyes and ears.

"Are you sure it is the Murder Skull?" I asked.

"Yes, Ms Cain," the deep voice on the other side answered.

"Thank you. I will meet you tomorrow. Bring the skull,"

"And you bring the money you promised,"

"I will." I hung up.

After five years of endless, consumed searching, I have finally found Skulduggery's old head. Five long, lonely years, five years of living as a dead girl. I was dead without him. I wanted to hold him, to hear his smooth, velvety voice, his egoistical words, his sarcastic humor. I wanted all of him.

Something rustled the grass on the ground, two stories below my window. I leaned out of the window and saw a flash of blonde hair and brown leather running up the wall and I recoiled, but it was too late and the heel of Tanith Low's boot thumped HARD against my chin.

"Dammit, Tanith," I growled, showing emotion for once.

"Oops," she grinned oh-so-innocently, like a four-year-old caught stealing cookies.

I decided not to do anything about it; after all it _was_ me who stuck my head out of the window. So I flipped on the lights and beckoned her to sit on the bed with me. This was my bed, my room, in Gordon's house. Since I turned eighteen and inherited the property I had moved in, but only changed this room; everything else still felt like it belonged to Gordon and changing it didn't feel right.

"Have you found the skull?" Tanith asked. I nodded and she continued. "So you're opening the portal tomorrow?" I nodded again. She sighed. "The Sanctuary's not going to be happy,"

"Since when have I cared about the Sanctuary?" I muttered skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Finding the Murder Skull is all I've been doing these five years. I have to get him back,"

"You love him, don't you?"

Her question caught me off guard. "What?" I blinked.

"You love him. That's why you've been searching for his skull like a madwoman. I know you, Val."

I hadn't thought about it that way before. I loved him? Was that why it hurt more than nearly being killed when I couldn't keep the melancholic thoughts and hopelessness away?

Did I love Skulduggery?

Maybe I did. Maybe this was why I was dead without him. Maybe this was why the three years I spent by his side were my happiest. Maybe I did love him.

I sighed and pushed the question away. I would think about it later. Right now all that mattered was opening the portal and getting him out of what was literally hell.

**The next day:**

"You've got an hour, okay, Valkyrie?" Fletcher said, looking at me grimly. "One hour to come back out of there,"

I nodded, stared as the portal opened, and ran straight into the yellow light.

I walked through the ruins of the town in the parallel universe, the heat making sweat slide down my back. I took off the protective jacket. The death in the city flowed into my ring. Unaffected by the heat, it was a band of cold metal on my finger.

My footsteps were strangely loud in the eerie silence. "Skulduggery?" I called. Oh God, please let him be here, please let him be alive… "Skulduggery?" I called again. There was still no reply. If he was gone – I couldn't bring myself to think the word "dead" – then everything I've been living for in the past five years would be gone. If he was dead, I wouldn't be able to find a way to carry on. He had been my only hope that my future would be better. He was my everything, even in his absence.

Uncharacteristic tears threatened to fall, but I pushed them away. There would be time for crying later. Right now I had to find Skulduggery.

"Valkyrie Cain?" A familiar, velvety, half-forgotten voice sounded from inside an abandoned building.

"Skulduggery?" My heart beat faster, and I could hear the blood pumping in my ears.

A man stepped out of the shadows. His suit was torn, but he himself was gorgeous; dirty blond hair that hung slightly over his sharp, distinctive, stormy gray eyes. There were bruises and cuts on his face. I had never seen him in my life before, but I had the feeling of knowing him. "Valkyrie?" he spoke and I recognized the voice.

"Skulduggery!" I threw my arms around his neck, and my lips were on his, frenzied with passion. He stumbled backwards into the building, never letting go of his hold on my waist. His kisses were as urgent and fervent as mine were, filled with the same longing and desire.

I didn't stop to wonder how he had become human, or how he had managed to survive for so long. All I knew in that moment was that I loved him and he loved me back. It must have always been there, under the surface, undiscovered until we were separated.

And I had never felt more alive than that moment, in a world perished in death. I could feel my heart thumping wildly, the adrenaline singing in my veins, Skulduggery's hot lips on my mouth. I could taste his sweet, fresh flavor on my tongue. 

Skulduggery's back hit the far wall and he slumped, sitting down, and I was on his lap, my legs on either side of him. We didn't break the kisses and we continued making out like that – his hands were on my hips, and mine tangled into his thick hair.

I broke off from the kiss, panting for breath. "What was that for?" I whispered.

"For not being there all this time," he breathed. "How long has it been, Valkyrie? How old are you?"

"Five years, Skul. I'm nineteen,"

"And you still came for me,"

"You would've done the same if I were the one who got pulIed into the portal," I answered, looking into his stormy gray. "Wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," he answered without hesitation and kissed my forehead.

He was returning my gaze, his hands running over my sweaty face and through my long hair. We didn't talk, simply relishing in each other's presence. I was holding his face in my hands, bathing in love. It was a moment of pure bliss, pure heaven, in literally the middle of hell.

I was holding his face in my hands, and I ran my thumb lightly over a cut. "How'd you get these?"

"The Faceless Ones possess Batu's body and hunt me. I think it's more fun for them if they hurt a human as another human."

"They turned you human?" My eyes widened and my voice grew sharp. "For the sake of hurting you?" I wanted to kick the living daylights out of them. My heart was caught in a vice-like grip that literally pained me as I thought of the Faceless Ones hurting Skulduggery. "I'm going to kill them,"

"You can't kill a Faceless One, not without the Scepter of the Ancients." He said matter-of-factly. Then his voice softened and he murmured. "But that fierce passion, that's my Valkyrie. My beautiful, fierce, brave Valkyrie,"

I kissed him softly, quickly. "Now," I said, rising and pulling him up with me. "Let's get home,"

_**If you wander off too far, my love will get you home.  
If you follow the wrong star, my love will get you home.  
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,  
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.  
My love will get you home. **_

_**If the bright lights blind your eyes, my love will get you home.  
If your troubles break your stride, my love will get you home.  
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,  
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.  
My love will get you home. **_

_**If you ever feel ashamed, my love will get you home.  
When there's only you to blame, my love will get you home.  
If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,  
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.  
My love will get you home.**_

_**If you ever find yourself, lost and all alone,  
get back on your feet and think of me, my love will get you home, boy.  
My love will get you home, boy.  
My love will get you home.**_

_**~ My Love Will Get You Home**_

_**Christine Glass**_

**A/N: This is the first ever Valduggery one-shot I've written. Ever. I just didn't post it on here because I didn't know how to end it, lol. Oh btw, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ MORTAL COIL, please don't put spoilers in the reviews without a warning… most people don't like reading spoilers by accident ^_^**

**School is HELL this year, I'm not even kidding. We get homework for every subject every day, and most of it's due the next day. And ok I'm going to stop talking about that now, and talking about Mortal Coil instead.**

**MORTAL COIL SPOILERS ALERT!**

**Valkyrie/Caelan is just wrong! I don't know why but it just feels wrong. I even like Fletchyrie more than that. Fletcher actually isn't as bad now. He's no where near my favorite characters, but at least I don't hate him. And Tanith and Ghastly finally got together! At least for a while… I hope they get the Remnant out of Tanith! Cause if they don't I am going to hunt Mr Landy down and make him get it out of her!**

**SPOILERS OVER**

**I'm going to be checking all the forum posts about Mortal Coil, so you guys might see me on there… Apart from that, please R&R and enjoy the story! ^_^**


	11. Ticklish

**Valkyrie's age: 19**

**Skulduggery's form: Whatever… it doesn't matter much =P**

**They have been dating for a while and this is their first Christmas as a coupld :D**

**Here's something I wrote a while ago… I might make some changes later on but I'm pretty guilty about being so inactive. School and all that crap. So here's an early Christmas present, I'll see if I can get my other Christmas one-shot up here soon.**

"What are you getting me for Christmas?" Valkyrie asked.

"Ah, it's a secret," Skulduggery smiled mysteriously.

"Please?" she unleashed the full power of her puppy-dog eyes, the ones her boyfriend couldn't ignore. "I'll tell you if you tell me,"

"Fine. I'm getting you a pair of earrings." He groaned reluctantly, giving in to her puppy-dog eyes. "Now tell me,"

She grinned evilly. "Not telling."

"You promised!"

"Oops, I lied," she smiled her sweetest smile.

"You don't play fair!" Skulduggery pounced on his girlfriend, making her fall onto the bed. He started tickling her mercilessly. "Tell me!"

"No!" She gasped between fits of giggles. "Stop it, or I'm going," scream. "kick your," giggle-gasp. "bony," giggle-gasp. "butt!" she screamed the last word. Skulduggery chuckled at her threat, as she looked anything but butt-kicking right now.

"Not about to!" Skulduggery panted breathlessly, struggling to keep her down and stop her from escaping.

"I mean it!" she gasped helplessly. "Stop it, Skulduggery! Stop!" she screamed, giggling like mad the whole time.

Fletcher Renn teleported into Valkyrie's mansion. He went to her room, and was about to enter when he heard a series of screaming and giggling about kicking Skulduggery's bony butt.

"Not about to," Skulduggery's voice was heard from the other side of the door. He was panting hard, like he was… Fletcher shied away from the thought.

"I mean it!" Valkyrie was gasping. "Stop it, Skulduggery! Stop!" she screamed and giggled. They were followed by her screams and Skulduggery's grunts.

Fletcher shuddered. He didn't want to know what Skulduggery was doing with his ex-girlfriend. He hoped he would never have to find out.

**A/N:**

**Hope you liked that… the idea was brilliant in my head, I swear it was. Then the writing turned out to suck, and it's really short, too… =P I'll try to get the one-shot I'm working on published on this site before Christmas. In case I don't, here are my Christmas greetings to all you awesome readers ****cough*****minions*cough***

**Btw, I want to write a Dramione (Hermione/Draco) fic. But it's been a while since I read the books and I don't have much time to write. If you're interested in writing it with me please let me know… :D**


	12. Cheesiness

**Valkyrie's age: 19**

**Skuluggery's form: skeleton**

**Valduggery status: dating**

Valkyrie Cain's dark eyes opened. The first thing she registered was the pain in her neck and the back of her skull. The second was her lover's familiar, comfortable grip on her hand.

Skulduggery Pleasant let out a sigh of relief as the girl woke. They had been fighting a vampire, and Valkyrie had been bitten, right before the vampire smashed her head against a wall and knocked her out. They were currently in one of Kenspeckle's rooms in the Hibernian.

"Don't you dare do that again," Skulduggery growled, protective anger in his voice.

"Do what?" Valkyrie muttered weakly. "Breathe?"

"Maybe Kenspeckle is right and I'm a bad influence. You aren't concerned enough about your own safety,"

"Well, maybe Kenspeckle's a bad influence to you and he's made you too concerned about my safety," Valkyrie retorted, sitting up and leaning back against the headboard of the bed. "You're really protective, you know that? A few years ago you wouldn't be sitting at my bedside like I'm about to die,"

"I wasn't in love with you a few years ago," he answered simply, the trace of anger gone from his voice.

She rolled her eyes. "That is so cheesy,"

"Doesn't stop it from being true." He shrugged. "And for the majority of my life – no sarcastic comments about me being dead – I lived in a time where that would be incredibly romantic and not 'cheesy' at all,"

"True," Valkyrie agreed. "And that _is_ really sweet of you," she admitted reluctantly.

"So you don't mind me being 'cheesy'," he used his fingers to put air quotes around the word.

"Not when we're alone,"

"Good," he smirked and leaned down, his teeth meeting her lips meeting in a sweet, chaste kiss.

The door burst open and Tanith, Ghastly and Fletcher stood there, ogling at the couple. Valkyrie tried to move away, her cheeks burning. But Skulduggery's hand on her chin kept her there until the kiss ended itself.

Cheeks aflame with embarrassment, Valkyrie glared at Skulduggery. "What happened to 'when we're alone'?"

**A/N: Hope you liked that… the idea seemed brilliant in my head, but it turned out crap when I put it down in writing. . At least I'm updating… I'm getting the writing bug again now that it's the holidays :D**

**Remember to review, nothing makes me as happy as one of your reviews :D**


	13. No Reason

**Valkyrie's age: 20 something**

**Skulduggery is in skeleton form**

Skulduggery strolled casually into the family room at Gordon's mansion. Well, technically Valkyrie's mansion.

"Pleasant," Valkyrie Cain stood up from a large armchair. Her face was a hard, cold mask, her dark eyes burned with a freezing fire. Skulduggery's carefree attitude went right out the window.

"Oh hello Valkyrie," he said _pleasantly_, trying to keep up the casual appearance.

"You are so. Freaking," she snarled, and shrieked out the last word: "BLIND!"

Skulduggery stepped backwards, surprised at her sudden outburst."What are you talking about? What did I do this time?"

"It's what you didn't do, you moron!"

_Well, this is a first, _Skulduggery thought. _She's mad because I didn't do something. Strange._"Well, what did I _not _do, Miss Cain?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Stop playing cool, Pleasant!" Valkyrie said angrily. "I know you like me as much as I like you and everyone's been asking us whether we're dating and Tanith said that we'd make a totally cute couple, so why don't you just ask me out?" As she ranted her hard exterior had broken down, she got quieter with each word and when she ended, she looked like what she felt – a girl who desperately wanted to be loved back.

"Valkyrie, there are too many reasons why we can't be together," he said. His voice was gentle, the way he reserved just for her. He, too, had stripped his indifferent walls.

"Name three reasons,"

"Well there's the age difference…" he began, before he was cut off.

"So?"

He sighed. "I'm four hundred years older than you, Val,"

"And I repeat, 'so?' Age doesn't exactly matter to people like us," She said, raising her dark eyebrows. "Tanith is just, like, sixty years older than I am and Ghastly is the same age as you. The age gap doesn't mean anything to them. So that doesn't count as a reason,"

"Fine," There was a pout in his voice. "We work together."

"That is the most pathetic excuse ever!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "We can be together and still be professional! Well, as professional as _we _can be," she amended with a half smile.

There was a stoop in Pleasant's shoulders as two of his reasons were quickly dismissed by his partner. He brightened, though, as he came to his most valid point. "I'm dead."

"I. Don't. Care." Valkyrie said softly. She took a step and crossed the distance between them. Her fingers tapped the symbols etched on his collarbones, stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Skulduggery kissed her back, loving the way her slim frame leaned against him, loving the way she tasted. They kept the kiss sweet and chaste, and it ended all too soon.

"So, Pleasant, any more reasons why we can't be together?" She asked, a coy smile playing on her lips.

"No reason," he murmured before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again.

**Gah, I haven't updated in so long. I'm so sorry… D: The plot bunny ran away from me and I had so much homework. I was literally working until at least 11pm every night, for more than a week. I know that isn't an excuse for not updating for two months, and I don't have a better excuse. I'm sorry guys. Like, SERIOUSLY. That was not meant to be sarcastic lol.**

**I hope this is an okay chapter… I don't like it that much xD**

**I just realized that this is Chapter 13! Thirteen is a lucky number... xD**

**BTW, guys, you HAVE to watch Criminal Minds! Best show ever~**

**Start from Season 1:**

**http:/www. freeonlineepisodes. net/watch-criminal-minds-online-episodes-for-free/**


	14. Who Cares What Tomorrow Shall Bring?

A shiny black Bentley pulled up next to the gothic mansion. A tall, lean figure, clad in jacket, scarf and hat, stepped out of it. The heavy rain soon soaked him, water ran down the brim of his hat. Head down, the man stepped onto the porch, where the rain stopped falling on him. It was, however, no less humid than it was in the pouring rain.

Glancing around warily, as though afraid that he was seen in front of a necromancer's house, the man rapped his knuckles twice on the front door. The knock sounded curiously like bone on wood.

The door was open in moments, revealing a dark-haired beauty. She was young, in her mid twenties, with skin that was pale, but not unnaturally so – more like someone who preferred to spend her time indoors and leave the shade at night. Her eyes, as dark as her hair, lit up like stars when she saw the man, and she stepped aside for him to enter. The inside of the house was not much warmer than it was outside, though it was considerably drier. He took off his hat and scarf, revealing his face. Or rather, his lack of a face, for all he had for a head was a skull.

"I've missed you," He breathed, standing closer to embrace her.

She leaned into his arms, closing her eyes as she simply enjoyed his presence. "So have I," she returned in a whisper.

She took his hand, eyes sparkling, and without anymore exchange of words she led him up a wide staircase, of the same gothic style as the rest of the house. They entered a large, room, with no lights on. It was elegantly decorated, with a large four poster bed in the middle. The man opened his mouth to speak, but the woman crashed her lips onto his teeth passionately. He kissed her back with the same dire need, a skeletal hand behind her head to steady her mouth against him.

Her pale fingers were on his face, cradling it the same way hers was now cupped in his hands. Her fingers crept down his neck, the collar of his shirt, opened up the first few buttons to tap the symbols etched onto his collarbones. Immediately skin formed under her hands – skin as pale as hers, thin, calloused fingers caressing her face, dirty blond hair that fell over those eyes that were presently closed.

The duo lay there on the bed in the middle of the dark room, kissing, embracing and drinking in each other's presence. These two were a pair of lovers who had been apart for too long.

She broke her lips off from his by the fraction of an inch, breathless. "Skul," she whispered his name. She wasn't saying it to get his attention, just to pour all her love into that word.

"Yes?" He breathed. He could feel her breath fan across her face, smelling distinctively like _him_; she could never compare his scent to anything else in the world.

"Nothing," she smiled and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, though not actually seeing it. Her dark eyes were focused on some thought, some fantasy in her mind.

"I love you so much," he said softly. The great skeleton detective's walls were down, his voice was filled with genuine emotion, void of his usual indifference. Valkyrie Cain was the only woman on the face of the planet who has heard him speak in that voice. It was the voice he reserved just for her.

"I love you too," she turned around to lie on her side. "So much," she ran a hand through his hair. His green eyes caught the light of the stars shining brightly outside. She felt a tear prick at the corner of her eye, but she refused to let it ruin this moment. "Solomon's back tomorrow,"

"I wish we didn't have to do this in secret," he sighed, wrapping a lean but muscled arm around her. She snuggled closer and lay her head on his chest.

"Me too," she agreed wistfully. "I wish I made the right choices, when I had the chance. It's just that…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

"I wasn't over Persephone back then," he finished the sentence for her. Persephone, his wife, has been dead for four hundred years but it had taken him much longer to move on. By then, the woman he loved had married with another – Solomon Wreath.

In response, she kissed him. This kiss wasn't lust-filled and desperate like the ones they shared earlier. This one was gentle and understanding, like saying, "It's okay, it wasn't your fault."

In that moment, he loved her more than ever. And that gave him the courage to ask her what he had wanted to say, for so long now. "Let's run away,"

She blinked those wide chocolate eyes a few times, dark lashes fluttering. "What?" she asked incredulously. "Are you crazy? Just… leave?"

"Why not?"

"Solomon will kill the two of us,"

"He won't find us. We can leave Ireland. Go to England, France, Germany, Europe. We'll travel all over the world. And if he does find us, we'll fight him. Don't forget, we're both powerful mages. And if it comes to seeking the Sanctuary's aid, they will help us; after all they're the last ones to side with a Necromancer," he answered valiantly.

"Okay," she smiled, content, and lay back against the cushion of his arm.

"Just 'okay'? That's it?" he chuckled, slightly amused.

"Yep. We'll leave Ireland tomorrow," She looked him in the eye. "And I am dead serious, Pleasant."

"I know you are," he kissed her forehead. "Who cares what tomorrow shall bring? Its a new story. For now, live in this moment." And they fell asleep in each other's arms, drunk in the hope of the moment, waiting for the freedom of their love to rise with the sun.

_I'll feast at your table, I'll sleep in your clover,_

_Who cares what tomorrow shall brings_

_~ Tomorrow_

_John Denver_

_Let's run away and don't ever look back._

_~Teenage Dream_

_Katy Perry_

**A/N: **I hate school, I hate work, I love the holidays.


End file.
